[Physico-chemical characterization of acerola (Malpighia glabra L.) produced in Maringá, Paraná State, Brazil].

The acerola Malpighia glabra L., originally from the Antillas and North of South America, known by the people as cereja-das-antilhas or cereja-do-pará distinguish itself by its high content of vitamin C. The ripe and fresh acerola fruits utilized in experiments, were obtained from farmers of Maringá region, Paraná State, Brazil. The fruits were hulled in steel sieve with 25 mesh and the bagasse (seeds and hull) discarded. These physico-chemical analysis were realized in the pulp: vitamin C, moisture, protein, carbohydrate, fiber, lipids and fatty acids composition. We also determined the content of ash and cadmium, calcium, lead, copper, chrome, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium and zinc minerals. The average content of vitamin C was 1.79 g/100 g of pulp, it was higher than the one for other fruits, like pineapple, araçá, cashew, guava, kiwi, orange, lemon, and strawberry and lower than the camu-camu sylvestral fruit of Amazônia. The contents of moisture, carbohydrate, fiber, lipids and minerals in the acerola were not significantly different when compared to other fruits.